Nematodes are generally multi-cellular filiform microscopic plant parasites, with reduced diameter ends. Generally, nematodes are dioic (there are males and females) and the reproduction thereof implies a crossed fecundation. As per their biologic cycle this has six stages: a cyst, four juvenile stages (J1, J2, J3 and J4) and adult. Cysts remain into the soil infecting the roots of cultures during the following culture cycle. A nematode may have up to six generations during a culture time depending on the date of seeding, the temperature of the soil, the length of the growing time, the type of host and the geographic zone. Cysts can remain viable for long periods of time of up to twenty years.
Generally, nematodes, upon infecting cultures, produce aerial damages, such as a reduction in the seeds germination, low production, foliar stains, decay and chlorosity, dwarfism, leaf and stem deformation, internal necrosis in stem, defoliation and lack of greenness and under earth damages such as nodulated roots, detaching and necrosis of the skin on roots, corms and tubercles, low production of seeds and buds or shoots, deformation and necrosis of roots, bulbs, tubercles and corns, excess proliferation of roots, atrophy of radical apexes or an underdeveloped radical system.
An infestation by Globodera rostochiensis (FIG. 2) is produced when larvae J2 burst under the stimuli from radicals exuded out from the plant. Said J2 enter the apical portion of the root, into the epidermal cells and the cellular walls through the stylus thereof, and start feeding from the pericycle cells. Thus, the infested plants become subject to a reduced roots system, rachitis, dwarfism and chlorosis; and due to a reduction in the water absorption the plant may die.
Golden nematode or Globodera rostochiensis is a cyst-forming nematode infecting food and ornamental plants, with million dollars loses in a year. This nematode has affected potato-producing zones back from years 70s and from then it has spread to lukewarm and/or mountain zones where said tubercle is grown. Under a conservative appreciation, this nematode produces In Mexico loses for about 800,000 tons of potato production yearly, equivalent to about 3000 million Mexican pesos yearly. In Veracruz state the loses are esteemed in about 50,000 tons of potatoes yearly, equivalent to about 415 million Mexican pesos yearly, since a statistical lowering in the potato production has been observed in Veracruz state (OEIDRUS, 2008).
During 2008 a production of 300 million tons of potato was reported in the world over, with the Republic of China being the main provider and consumer thereof. This food shows a high nutritional value, is a versatile and noble food, has a variety of uses of industrial character, such as starch, maltose, dextrose, molasses and glucose.
According to United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world production of potato in 2007 was 325.30 million tons, the main producers being China, Russian Federation, India, United States, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Netherlands and France. On the other side, the main consumers of this tubercle are European countries whilst the lower consumers are in Africa and Latin America.
According to the Secretary of Agriculture, Cattle, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA) potato is ranked in Mexico in the 35th place for seeded surface; however, regarding the production value, this tubercle is ranked in the 9th place. More than 8700 producers are dedicated to potato farming in 12 states of the country, the farming of which generates 17,500 direct employments, 51,600 indirect ones and 6.3 million journals every year (2008).
In Veracruz state the mountain zones, such as the slopes of Cofre de Perote and Pico de Orizaba, are the ideal places for growing potatoes. Since 1987 the entire producing zone (6000 Ha) of Veracruz state has been under a quarantine according to the official document “Permanent Interior Quarantine Number 17 against the Potato Golden Nematode Globodera rostochiensis”, as published in 1987 and in force nowadays, through the Mexican Official Standard NOM040-FITO-2002, wherein requirements and specifications are given for the production and national mobilization of commercial potato, forbidding the use of said tubercle for seeds since this can be a propagator vehicle of nematodes, specifically of Globodera rostochiensis. This forbidding has been disrespected thus resulting in a greater dispersion of this noxious plague. These rules show that the problem has remained unsolved for more than 30 agricultural cycles.
Basically, the golden nematode or Globodera rostochiensis has affected the Mexican potato-producing zones as back as from about 1972; since it was then when it scattered to the mountain zones where this tubercle is grown. The records of the presence of said parasite show that it reached populations 100 times greater than the recommended value in order to avoid the damage to the production (i.e., 40 cysts per soil kg), according to the European Organization for Plant Protection.
The most commonly employed methods for controlling Globodera rostochiensis are the application of nematicides, such as carbofuran, which, further of being toxic, is not a definitive solution. There are in the state of the art methods for controlling nematodes of the Globodera spp. by means of the use of synthetic proteins (WO 01/94601 A2), the use of 2R,5R-dihydroxymethyl-3R, R-dihydroxypirrolidine (WO/1999/05941; a chemical agent obtained from plants of the Solanaceae family (WO/1999/059414); through the use of proteinase inhibitors (WO/1992/015690); and by the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (WO/1993/019604); compositions with one or more essential oils from Tagetes erecta, Ocimum basilicium or Cymbopongon martini; a carrier and an emulsifier (WO/2007/13222); compositions based on the bark of Afrostyrax lepidephyllus (WO/1995/010187), addition of cisterna proteinase (WO/2008/087555) and, specifically for the control of Globodera rostochiensis, the use of Arthrobotrys sp. (KR20030094540), which is too much sensitive to ambient factors and is inoperable on de-structured soils; chemical agents obtained from Solanaceae (JP3190807); and a chemical agent of the condensed formula C27H30O9 (WO/1993/002083). These control methods, jointly with the strategy of culture rotation, are generally carried out in a disorganized manner and with scarce knowledge on the nematode cycle of life. This and the doses employed, cause pollution and damages to the freatical mantles, pollution of the product and, in some instances, generate resistance on said nematodes and, consequently, making the eradication thereof more difficult.
The genus Paecilomyces spp. has being used in the following applications: Paecilomyces tenuipes in the control of flying insects in plants (U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,586 B2, US 20030124098 and US 2007 0141032); a composition containing Paecilomyces lilacinus used in the control of soil pests (U.S. Pat. No. 7,435,411 B2, CN101418264 and US 20050008619); Paecilomyces fumosoroseus or Paecilomyces javanicus in the control of under earth thermites (U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,480); Paecilomyces javanicus, combined with imidacloprid in the control of sucker insects (CN101502270); Paecilomyces javanicus combined with azadirachtin (CN101331880 and CN101331884); Paecilomyces fumosoroseus combined with azadirachtin (CN101273728 and WO/1991/011856); a protein obtained from Paecilomyces farinosus as an insecticide (WO/2001/000841); and more particularly, in the control of plants parasite nematodes among which there are: Paecilomyces lilacinus (U.S. Pat. No. 598,954, Pat No. CN101422168, Pat No. DE102005024783, Pat No. CN101081982 and Pat No. CA2059642); Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,607); Paecilomyces lilacinus 251, Paecilomyces lilacinus 252, Paecilomyces lilacinus 253 and Paecilomyces lilacinus 254 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,543); and Paecilomyces cicadae (CN101518265), without any mention to the use of Paecilomyces carneus in the control of nematodes in crops.
According to the above discussed, and as a response to a problem of such an important market throughout the world as the potato market, this invention has been developed to provide an optimized method of production of Paecilomyces carneus, as well as uses, methods and compositions easy to be applied in the control and/or prevention and/or eradication of nematodes in Solanaceae, and without a negative effect neither on the soil and on the product or the final consumer.